CCSL-IME-USP is creating the group Meninas Digitais consisting of students and teachers of IME interested in spreading the Computer area among women. A first action was held last Saturday at IME, with an Introduction to Python Programming course offered to high school girls from a public school in São Paulo. This pilot was assisted by the PyLadies-SP group (Alini Ramos, Bárbara Malheiros, Beatriz Harumi Uezu, Erika Campos, Patricia Morimoto Minamizawa, Roberta Mayumi Takenaka Granero) and students of Computer Science at IME (Fernanda de Camargo Magano, Florence Alyssa Sakuma Shibata, Letícia Henares Valentini, Shayenne da Luz Moura, Viviane Bonadia dos Santos).
Now, as a initiative of Professors Kelly Braghetto, Renata Wasserman and Fabio Kon, the idea is to offer a series of courses especially aimed at high school girls as a way to encourage them to pursue a career in IT. The educational materials will be developed by the Professors at IME.
Currently, women's participation in the growing national software industry is very low. The number of girls in Computing graduation does not even reach 10%, which makes this reality even worse in the future. CCSL is engaged in contributing to change this reality and we are convinced that the initiative of the Meninas Digitais group will make a difference!
We have already received generous donations from former students of Computer Science at IME-USP to make some of these course editions. Now, we are committed to get a greater sponsorship to reach 1000 high school girls and change this reality in the city of São Paulo.